1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an indicating apparatus of a camera which is driven by a motor driving unit.
2. Related Background Art
An indicating apparatus of a camera which includes a motor driving means is disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Application No. 3-214613 filed by the present applicant.
The indicating apparatus according to the application described above is constructed to effect an indication by means of a rotary needle. The indicating apparatus is constructed of three elements, i.e., a shot frame number indicating portion for indicating the number of shot frames, a strobe indicating portion for indicating a flash mode of a strobe and a self-timer indicating portion for indicating modes of a self-timer.
A rotary needle of each indicating portion is driven by a stepping motor. The stepping motor is driven by an instruction from a CPU. The rotary needle is rotationally driven by this stepping motor.
Based on the conventional indicating apparatus explained above, the stepping motor malfunctions due to a shock applied to the camera in operation, a sudden trouble caused by intensive electromagnetic waves and an abrupt breakdown of a power unit. If an indication by the needle once shifts from the correct position, the operation is thereafter performed in an as-shifted state. This conduces to a problem in which a precise indication can not be given.
For instance, when the indicating portion for indicating the shot frame number of a film indicates the frame number 10, the stepping motor malfunctions due to the above-described shock, with the result that the needle position shifts to the frame number 11. It thereafter follows that the frame number is counted 12, 13 and so on. A correct frame number can not be known. Besides, even when rewinding the film and taking it out after the photography has been finished, the CPU causes the stepping motor to rotate reversely corresponding to the shot frame number. Hence, the indicating portion gives indications remaining shifted, wherein the zeroth frame should be indicated, but the first frame is to be indicated.
Further, a known apparatus for indicating a variety of items of photographic information on the camera has hitherto involved the use of a liquid crystal indicating apparatus for digitally indicating a shutter time (sec) and giving pictorial indications through a self-timer. In another known apparatus, the photographic conditions are indicated as well as being set by providing a rotary dial for setting a shutter time and an f-number.
If the liquid crystal indicating apparatus and the rotary dial are installed in a limited space of the upper or rear surface of the camera, however, the indicating characters become smaller. There arises a problem in which the multiple items of information containing the photographic conditions are hard to see.